I want to put an Econonburn 150 into the basement and need some advice on how to safely do this. Access to the basement is through a 48” wide masonry stairway that descends through a cover porch. I will have to take off the fan cover an front doors to assure enough clearance (which will remove some weight) but this baby will still be quite heavy. I will build a wood frame around th boiler to protect it druing the move and help it slide down the stairs. Then I have to get it on its side, get it on the porch, glide it to the stairs, and some how winch it down. I expect many you have a similar or more difficult situation. In any case any advice or past experience would be appreciated.
One other thing, as a backup, I did find a mover who would do it for $380 using four guys and an appliance dolly. He said it is similar to moving a gun safe which can weigh upto 1600 lbs. Although it would be interesting to see how four guys can achieve this I rather not part with money uncessarily.
Most of us have accomplished this feat with several friends, several dolly’s, several straps/ropes and more than one case of beer.
I think you’ll see a few here post some pictures of down-stairs descents. I’ve seen it done with a couple of 2x10’s running the length of the stairs and the boiler laying on it’s back. Slide it down with a winch of some sort attached to the top (typically attached to the pipe in the top of your boiler if there is one, that is a strong connection point. Doing it this way you’ll probably need to build a strong box around the boiler like you said. You don’t want to damage the boiler covers.
I personally spent the better part of a day unloading my boiler and getting it into my walk-out basement with less than stellar tools/equipment and two friends. If I could get it done by pro’s for $200 I’d consider it. But $380 is a lot of cabbage, I think you can do it…
I believe the EB has a top welded eye, you just need to remove a plate if I remember right. I would recommend buying a 110 volt electric winch from someone like Northern, Harbor Freight etc. They are about 50 bucks & are very usefull. Then you just anchor it to a tree,car,truck & lower your boiler down carefully & safely! Before you tip it upright shove some pipes cut to the right size under it. One person can roll it then(sweep the floor though), Randy
Thanks. I will take a look at the winch and see how I can mount it - possibly to the back of my old ford tractor. I am feeling more comfortable on trying th emove myself. It is amazing what you can find on youtube - I saw two guys easily move a 1700 lb safe on a dolly.
Thanks. I will take a look at the winch and see how I can mount it - possibly to the back of my old ford tractor. I am feeling more comfortable on trying th emove myself. It is amazing what you can find on youtube - I saw two guys easily move a 1700 lb safe on a dolly.
Steve; You don’t need to mount the winch, just chain it to your tractor with a short chain. I would advise against putting the EB on a dolly & not sure if you were going to do that. There is almost no chance of the EB tipping off 1” pipes, a dolly is a different story. Good luck, Randy
Any ideas about how to safely tilt the boiler on its side - once I build a wooden frame around it. I need to move the boiler up 18” onto a porch. Maybe I can tilt and raise it in one move using he winch to control the rate of movement.
do have an outbuilding that I can put the boiler in. Other than moving the boiler into the basement I decided on the basement for the following reasons:
- less wasted heat.
- No need to trudge outside in the winter.
- simpler system design
- slightly lower cost (have a chimney) although I did not factor any moving cost
- bypasses any issues that may arise in NYS with having an outdoor wood boiler.
However one key cocner I have with an indoor boiler is safety. My father in law is dead set againt having the boiler inside - he believes it will cause a fire and is incompatable with having propane in the house.
Would you mind sharing your reasons for having the boiler outside?
Any ideas about how to safely tilt the boiler on its side - once I build a wooden frame around it. I need to move the boiler up 18” onto a porch. Maybe I can tilt and raise it in one move using he winch to control the rate of movement.
Does your tractor have a front end loader. If it does you can just back up with the winch attached & slowly lower. Do you have a tree nearby, that will also work. It sounds like for some of this work you will need 5 or 6 strong friends. Randy
do have an outbuilding that I can put the boiler in. Other than moving the boiler into the basement I decided on the basement for the following reasons:
- less wasted heat.
- No need to trudge outside in the winter.
- simpler system design
- slightly lower cost (have a chimney) although I did not factor any moving cost
- bypasses any issues that may arise in NYS with having an outdoor wood boiler.
However one key cocner I have with an indoor boiler is safety. My father in law is dead set againt having the boiler inside - he believes it will cause a fire and is incompatable with having propane in the house.
Would you mind sharing your reasons for having the boiler outside?
You’re points for having a boiler inside are good ones. You are correct in that you don’t have to trudge outside in the winter, it is a slightly lower cost, and you won’t have to worry about NYS issues. I would disagree that there’s SIGNIFICANT additional heat loss with an outside unit. I did insulate my building and any exposed piping and my unit runs great! So I’m sure there is some additional heat loss with an outside unit, I just don’t think it’s enough to factor into your decision. I would also disagree that it’s a simpler system design. The design should be the same whether the boiler is inside or outside. There’s just more material (and therefore cost) involved. I obviously don’t know your layout, so putting the unit in your out building may require additinal design effort.
My biggest reason for NOT recommending putting your boiler system inside is the mess and SMOKE. No matter how hard you try, some smoke will come out of the door everytime you refill the boiler. Also, soot from cleaning out the lower chamber can be messy. The wood itself is messy. I assume you will be storing a certain amount of wood in your basement? That being said, with diligent effort your can keep the boiler area and woodpile reasonably clean, but there’s no way around the smoke situation.
There is always some risk with any indoor wood burning product, but I don’t think it’s a a big risk. Just make sure you install with the recommended clearances and you should be fine.
Anyway, that’s only my opinion for what its worth. In regards to your Econoburn 150…..congratulations on a great purchase! I’ve love mine! I think you’ll be very happy with it!
Whoa nelllly….not the inside vs outside debate again! ha. I’ll go out on a limb and say the majority (more than 50%) of the users on this site have their units inside. We should do a poll someday….
One factor to be aware of is that the Econoburn has a surprisingly high center of gravity (not to an extreme, but just compared to what you might assume)—be prepared for that in terms of any tilting of it- be very ready to support it and not have it get away from you.
I lowered mine down my cellar bulkhead using a borrowed tractor with front loader- although in my case the inside steps were wood and easy to temporarily relocated out of the way. (also be sure that the loader and the tractor itself can handle 1600+/- pounds and still handle/ steer OK)
On the outside vs inside, in addition to the other factors mentioned, if you’ve got a boiler in an outbuilding, your ability to go away in extreme cold weather and rely on some kind of backup heat suddenly becomes a whole different picture.
The only boiler I could see (for me) locating in a stand alone building would be a Garn, simply because of its size.
I have my EBW 150 in the cellar and wouldn’t want it anywhere else.
No dollies as pointed out before, steel pipes only. 1600lbs in that small sq/ft is alot. Pybyr is correct as about the center of gravity, laying the unit on side? Chainfalls to lay it down and stand it up, will be needed. BTW, my units next door in garage,whoops I meant wood storage facility. This works for me.
I would ask myself: “Without the proper equipment and knowledge, will I do $380.00 worth of damage? How much equipment do I need to buy to accomplish the job?”
I think I would ask the guy that will do it for $380.00 if he is insured and make him liable for any damage and sit down, crack open a Keystone and watch!
I’ve seen riggers in action and found it amazing what they can do with a few wooden blocks and roller skates.
I would ask myself: “Without the proper equipment and knowledge, will I do $380.00 worth of damage? How much equipment do I need to buy to accomplish the job?”
I think I would ask the guy that will do it for $380.00 if he is insured and make him liable for any damage and sit down, crack open a Keystone and watch!
I’ve seen riggers in action and found it amazing what they can do with a few wooden blocks and roller skates.
Good post, i didn’t think 380 was a bad price. Also, if a man gets hurt and is out of work, $380 is a good deal. These boilers have bad backs and broken fingers possiblity.
